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An Apple a Day . . .

 

Grab

Fall jackets and boots

Camera

Money

Car keys

Go

Check your local classifieds to find a u-pick apple orchard with hay rides. Dress for the cool autumn weather and enjoy your drive in the country as you make your way to the farm.

Grab the bags or buckets the orchard provides and make your way out to the apple trees. Select your favorite apple varieties and get picking! Give your daughter a boost if she sees a big, beautiful piece of fruit that she can’t reach.

When you’ve picked enough to snack on (and make a pie or two!), enjoy everything the orchard has to offer. Perhaps you’ll find pumpkins, some hot apple cider, and even some gourds or a scarecrow. Take time for an old-fashioned ride on a hay wagon. Make the most of every photo opportunity!

When you’re finished with your amazing autumn experience, spend some time in the Word and pray together.

Grow

Autumn is a time to celebrate the harvest after a long summer of hard work. It’s a thrill to look around and see God’s goodness in the way he has provided food for the coming seasons. Isn’t it amazing that only a few months ago the apples in your hands were just little buds on a tree?

One thing is for certain: apple trees bring a harvest of apples, lemon trees produce lemons, and peach trees grow peaches! God says that there will be a “harvest” in people, too, depending on what has been planted.

A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. (Gal. 6:7–10)

James 3:18 also teaches us this: “Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.”

Make a list of “seeds” you can plant to please the Spirit of God.

Make a list of ways you can “do good to all people.” How can you serve and care for others?

Make another list of ways you can be a peacemaker in your home, church, school, and workplace.

When we are loving and caring toward others, and when we do all we can to get along with one another, God fills us with more and more of the love of Jesus. And righteousness is a better harvest than apples any day!

Dear Lord,

Please plant your love in our hearts! We want a harvest of goodness, peace, and love. Teach us how to serve other people. Help us make peace with everyone around us. Let us not water any “seeds” of sin that might be growing in the soil of our hearts. Sometimes doing the right thing can be tough—give us strength to never give up. Thank you for the promise of a life forever with you. We love you! Amen.